Birds do make charming pets. They can be friendship for the lonely or entertainment to a busy house-
hold. Not only are birds lovely to look at but they can be comical, loving and endearing. Some are natural
gymnasts while others sing beautiful songs. Many birds can be trained to talk, enjoy being handled and
warm your heart with their antics. Choosing the “right” bird for your household will save you from disap-
pointment and the bird from disaster. Before you select plan wisely and educate yourself. First time owners
often make the mistake of selecting a “pretty bird”. Not learning what that bird’s general personality traits are or his basic needs can spell trouble Balancing your needs and the bird’s equals a fulfilling relationship.

TIME
Start with how much time you have to spend with the pet. Some birds are content to stay in their cage while others require a great deal of interaction and play time. Any new addition to the family gets a great
deal of initial attention but as time passes so can the interest. Many of the birds in the parrot family do not
adapt well to lack of attention and can become noisy and troublesome when ignored.
What type of diet does the bird require? Seed alone is no longer an acceptable diet for any bird but does the bird require your cooking his food or chopping his fruits and vegetables? Many birds can share your diet (provided it is healthful) and eating together can be quite fun! How about cleaning of the cage and or playpens? A bird housed in a cage is far less time consuming to clean than a parrot who requires toys, lad
ders and play pens to be happy. Will you need to train this bird? This can require not only time with
the bird but the reading of books and articles and spending time with knowledgeable sales people.
Training a bird is most rewarding and makes for a close friendship with your feathered friend.

If a fish or coral in your saltwater aquarium contracts a disease, it is essential that you are able to identify this right away and quarantine any infected livestock, or you will quickly have an epidemic on your hands which will be distressing. Of course, not all diseases will be fatal to your livestock, and most are treatable. But, to prevent all of your livestock from perishing, you must act quickly. Here are some tips to help.

One of the more common conditions among fish when you first create your aquarium is called delayed mortality syndrome, or DMS. DMS occurs to a fish when new environmental conditions are thrust upon it like changes in temperature, oxygen level, or chemicals in different water then what they were transferred from, so all of your fish will be susceptible when first introduced into your tank. This condition is not the problem in and of itself, as it is not contagious and only serves to weaken the immune system of the fish.

It is important that when a fish seems to exhibit symptoms of a disease that your first step is to check all of your water factors such as ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, alkalinity, and anything else that, if at the wrong level, might harm the fish rather than provide a safe environment. If you have any doubt at all, change the water. If the problem was your levels instead of an actual disease, then you will see a change in your livestock�fs behavior shortly after the water change.

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Question about Dropsy:
I posted about a female Siamese fighting fish (Betta) that appeared to have dropsy a few weeks ago. I treated her twice with Maracyn. After the swelling didn’t start to go down, but she is still as swollen as she was then, but has not got to the point were her scales have started to protrude? Do you know what else that it could be. She seems buoyant and the swollen cavity appears to be filled by either air, of a clear liquid, when she swims in front of the lights?

Answer:
Have you tried Kanacyn? Maracyn (Erythromycin) is usually not effective for most causes of Dropsy. And dropsy is generally a symptom of something else, sometimes digestive, often kidney related. Because of this, Dropsy can often be very difficult to treat, especially if caught in an advanced case in the fish. What the aquarist often observes is a “pinecone” swelling generally caused by fluid building inside the body cavity, for this reason, reducing this swelling is an important step in effecting a cure. This said, besides treatment for a possible underlying infection, you want to take steps to remove the swelling.

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